Monday, August 7, 2023

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Numbers 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:13-21)

When a commodity becomes plentiful and cheap, people look for more delectable alternatives.  At one time chicken was most families’ favorite dinner.  They reserved it for Sunday dinner after church to crown their day of leisure.  Today, with mass (and often inhumane) poultry farming, chicken has become a relatively inexpensive and somewhat prosaic dinner.  Families often prefer steak or salmon for special occasions.  In the first reading something similar is brewing.

The Israelites have grown tired of the manna which they have eaten every day for years.  They seek out Moses with the absurd complaint that they would have been better off in Egypt.  Moses then goes up to the Lord perplexed about what to do.  He knows that the people should be grateful.  At the same time he realizes that they are still not holy, still not truly the Lord’s.   

Holiness is a matter of being different.  But the difference is not being individualistic.  Rather holiness is going against the grain of human pride to give oneself completely to God.  It is overcoming the tendency to see ourselves as entitled to things.  It is recognizing everything that one has as a blessing from God.   Then it is a way of becoming a blessing to others.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Numbers 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:13-21)

When a commodity becomes plentiful and cheap, people are likely to look for alternatives.  At one time chicken was most families’ favorite food.  They reserved it for Sunday dinner after church to crown their day of leisure.  Today, with mass (and inhumane) poultry farming, chicken has become relatively inexpensive.  Many families prefer steak or salmon for special occasions.  In the first reading something similar is brewing.

The Israelites have grown tired of the manna which they have had to eat it every day.  They return to Moses with the absurd complaint that they would have been better off in Egypt.  Moses then goes up to the Lord perplexed about what to do.  He knows that the people should be grateful.  At the same time he realizes that they are still not holy, still not truly the Lord’s.   Moses himself betrays a rebellious spirit as he attempts to weasel out of God’s service.

Holiness is a matter of being different.  But the difference is not being individualistic.  Rather holiness is going against the grain of human pride to give oneself completely to God.  It is overcoming the tendency to see ourselves as entitled and recognizing everything as a blessing from God.   Then it is becoming a blessing to others.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Numbers 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:13-21)

When a commodity becomes plentiful and cheap, people are likely to look for more costly alternatives.  At one time chicken was most families’ favorite fare mostly reserved for Sunday dinner.  Today, by contrast, with mass (and inhumane) methods of poultry farming, it has become relatively inexpensive, and many families prefer steak or salmon on special occasions.  In the first reading something similar is brewing.

The Hebrews have grown tired of manna.  Having to eat it every day, they return to Moses with the complaint that they should have stayed in Egypt.  Moses goes to the Lord with the dilemma.  He may think that the people should be grateful to have sustenance along with their freedom, but he knows that they are still not holy, still not truly the Lord’s.   Perhaps Moses himself betrays the same rebellious spirit as he attempts to weasel out of God’s service.

Holiness is a matter of being different.  But the difference is not being individualistic.  Holiness is going against the grain of human sinfulness that hankers after pride, pleasure, and power.  It is overcoming the tendency to see ourselves as all-important, thanking God as the source of our blessings, and then becoming a blessing to others.

Homilette for Monday, August 3, 2009

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Numbers 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:13-21)

A recent play and movie is entitled Doubt. The plot involves suspicion of child abuse by a priest. But a reflective viewing of the work indicates doubt not only about criminal activity but, more profoundly, about God´s interaction in the world. We find similar this second kind of doubt in the first reading.

Moses has led the Israelites out of captivity. Or perhaps we should say that Moses and the Israelites have followed the Lord’s lead from captivity to freedom. Now they have to live in the environs where their exodus has brought them. The desert, of course, is a difficult place – not only dry but devoid of cultivation and abundant wildlife. It presents a challenge to which Moses and the Israelites must respond with continued trust in God. Unfortunately they give in to the dark sentiment that God might have tricked them. They wonder why they left subjugation in Egypt where they at least had regular food to eat. It sounds like they are just ungrateful but perhaps some of us have given into the same doubt of God´s goodness.

Most of us have never been slaves even in the contemporary sense of the word. But many have walked the paths of self-absorption. Perhaps we used to brag about ourselves all the time or maybe we suffered a worse affliction, like addiction to pornography. Giving up these kinds of vices, we sometimes miss the pleasure they brought us. Of course, we are not likely to complain to God, but we may wonder if the new path that we have taken is worth the effort. Of course, it is, and we can look to Jesus for reassurance. He understands the feelings of loss and doubt that crop up inside us. He also provides the fortitude to keep marching on until we realize all the benefits that our sacrifices afford us.